


named in memory

by ghostinthebook



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Gen, Maryse-centric, Names
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-10-29 13:43:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 5,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17809052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostinthebook/pseuds/ghostinthebook
Summary: Max Lightwood-Bane was named after Max Lightwood, who was named after Max Trueblood. Here are some memories of each of them, mostly from Maryse Lightwood.





	1. Max Trueblood, Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is kind of a mix between the show and the books, mostly the books, so yeah. there's that. I've had the idea for this fic for quite a while, so it's nice to finally write it. enjoy!!!

“Max! Wait up!” Maryse called out to her brother. He was a few years older than her, and he was significantly taller. That made his pace faster than his little sister’s, a fact that annoyed her to no end. 

In a few weeks, Maryse was going to get her first rune. Then she could finally start training. Until then, Max decided to take her on morning runs.

Every morning. At 6 AM. To “prepare her for real Shadowhunter training”.

Ugh.

“Maryse, c’mon! You gotta pick up the pace! I’m not waiting,” he replied.

She sped up, but only so that she could kick Max’s ankle. He didn’t appreciate that.

Once they were done with their run, with minimal punching and kicking, they sat down on a hill by Trueblood Manor. It was Maryse’s favorite place in the whole world, because it felt so calming to her. Most of Idris felt stressful and rigid; the hill by Trueblood Manor wasn’t. It was peaceful.

Maryse knew that one day she’d get married, and live wherever her husband lived. Maybe it would be in Idris. Maybe it would be an Institute. Either way, she wouldn’t be living at her family’s house. She couldn’t go to the hill then.

But for now, she sat with her brother on the hill, complaining about sore muscles while he laughed. It was a nice moment.

“Which Institute do you think I should go to for my travel year?” Max asked. Many Shadowhunters did a travel year after they turned 18. There was quite a bit of time between then and when Max could go, but it was fun to think about.

“I don’t know, maybe Berlin? Or London? Wait, wait, wait, go to New York! I love New York and if you’re there I can visit you with Mom and Dad!”

“I’m thinking more along the lines of Los Angeles. Or somewhere in Mexico. I didn’t learn Spanish for nothing.”

“Oh come on, you only know a few phrases in Spanish, and it was so you could impress Rosa from Rune Studies.”

“I will neither confirm nor deny that.”

The two of them talked for a bit longer, until the conversation somehow switched to talking about mundanes. Specifically, Shadowhunters falling in love with mundanes.

“Did you know that a Herondale once fell in love with a mundane?” Maryse asked. “A Herondale?” she repeated, the emphasis on “Herondale” obvious.

“Are you sure about that? I don’t see anything wrong with falling in love with mundanes, but I know the Herondales tend to not like it.”

“I’m sure. Jocelyn Fairchild told me, and she was right about every other bit of gossip she’s told me.” It took a second for all of what Max said to sink in. “Wait, you think it’s okay to fall in love with a mundane?”

“Yeah, of course. Once the Clave stops throwing a hissy fit every time they don’t like someone’s choice of partner, everyone will see that it’s fine.”

“But what about keeping the Shadow World a secret? What will stop them from telling everyone that we exist?”

“First of all, we need to trust the mundanes. Secondly, if they start telling everyone and they don’t have valid proof that all this exists, no one will believe them. Lastly, Downworlders can fall in love with mundanes, and we haven’t seen anything bad come from that. It’s fine.”

Maryse didn’t exactly like her brother’s pro-mundane views, but there wasn’t a problem with it yet. As long as he didn’t fall in love with a mundane himself, he’d be fine. But if he did, he’d be deruned. And if he’s deruned…

“Max, when you go on your travel year, promise me you’ll stay safe? You won’t fall in love with the wrong person, or take unnecessary risks?”

“Fall in love with the wrong person? What do you mean?”

Since he had just shared his pro-mundane views, she decided to not mention that part. “I don’t know, I don’t want to have to kill some girl because she broke your heart, y’know?”

“Okay then. I promise.”

Maryse knew both of them would have to remember this promise. She needed him. She couldn’t lose him because of a stupid mundane. She wouldn’t. 

She wouldn’t.

The two Truebloods sat on the hill, thinking of the future and what it holds.


	2. Max Trueblood, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is where me being from California was useful

Max was living at the Los Angeles Institute. Had been, for the last few years. He went there for his travel year, and loved it so much he had decided to stay.

Maryse was okay with that. She had her friends from Shadowhunter Academy. She had her boyfriend, Robert. She had her parents, and she had her hill.

She still went to the hill when things got too stressful. When her friends would “forget” to invite her somewhere. When Robert’s eyes were on another girl for a bit longer that needed. When her parents would expect the world of her, but not help her carry the burden of the world. 

But today, she didn’t need the hill. Today, she was visiting Max.

And why would she need to go to a place that reminded her of someone when she can just go to that someone?

She was in Alicante right then, waiting for the portal that would take her to Los Angeles. Her parents were on patrol in Brocelind that afternoon, so it was just her. She and Max were going to go to lunch.

The portal appeared, and Maryse walked through, imagining the sun of California as she went through.

What she wasn’t expecting was rain.

“Yeah, yeah, it actually does rain in California, like, once a year, don’t be shocked,” Max said while smiling and going to hug his sister. 

“Max!” Maryse said, hugging him. “How have you been?”

“Pretty good, I’ll tell you more over lunch though.” He was still smiling, but as he said that, something went out in his eyes. Maryse decided not to comment. Yet. She’ll learn everything over lunch.

Max started speaking again. “So, what do you want? We can get In N Out, I know a lot of non-California people like to get that. Or if you want fancier we can go to, like, Applebees? I don’t have a lot of money right now so you aren’t getting any five star meal today.”

They decided on a fast food place (“you need something that isn’t farm-grown, Maryse”) but they would sit in the place instead of just leaving after getting food.

“So, how’s Idris?” Max asked.

“Pretty good, would be better with you there. Did I tell you I have a boyfriend?” Maryse replied.

“Well, I’ve only heard you say it in your letters, I don’t know, a thousand times. One of the letters still had a drawing of a heart you did on the back that said ‘Maryse Lightwood’ on it. Man, you’re in love, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Maryse said. She even smiled a little bit. No matter what doubts she had about Robert sometimes, she was in love right then. “What about you? Any of the Shadowhunter girls here catch your eye?”

She was thinking one had. His letters had sounded happier lately.

“Not exactly,” Max said. He started looking around, not meeting Maryse’s eyes. “Her name’s Jessica.”

“Yeah? And?” Maryse was confused. For a second she thought he might of said a Shadowhunter boy caught his eyes. Which if that was it… she doesn’t know how she’d react. But Jessica is a very feminine name, and he said “her”, so that was that. Maybe… “Is she a Downworlder or something? Is that why you’re so nervous?” A Downworlder wouldn’t be good but it would be better than a mundane, at least.

“No, she’s not a Downworlder. She’s a mundane.”

Oh no.

“Seriously Max? A mundane? If this keeps going, you’ll get deruned!”

“I know, but she’s worth it. I love her so much. I can deal with getting deruned if it means a lifetime with her. I asked her to marry me last week and she said yes.”

Maryse couldn’t deal with this. She felt like her brother was throwing away his entire life for some random mundane.

“Max, if you get deruned, I can never see you again.”

“I know, and I’m sorry, but I have to. I love Jessica with all my heart.”

“Guess I know where I stand now.” Maryse stood up. “Get me a portal back to Idris right now.”

Max looked shocked and hurt, but did as she said. He drove her to the nearest warlock and had him portal her out to Idris.

It was raining in Idris when she got back. She walked past her hill and into Trueblood Manor.

They had skipped apologies and goodbyes. They could do that next time, she thought.

Neither knew that would be the last time they saw each other.

* * *

Max was deruned a few years ago. He hadn’t seen anyone from his family in that time.

Well, except for Jessica.

They had gotten married soon after he was deruned. They lived in an apartment, they both had okay-paying jobs, and now there was a baby on the way.

His mundane life couldn’t be any better.

He still thought of his family from time to time, especially about Maryse. His sister had always had a special place in his heart, and she was the hardest thing he had to give up. The seraph blades, the family names, none of it mattered.

He missed his little sister.

One day, on his way home from work, he was walking in the dark and he saw something move.

Maybe it was a stray cat. But maybe it wasn’t.

Even though he wasn’t a Shadowhunter any more, he got in a fighting stance, just in case.

He never even got to throw the first punch before the demon got him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANGST


	3. Max Trueblood, Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last Max Trueblood chapter, next is Max Lightwood. Also this chapter is in Jessica's POV btw. and it was written in about a half hour at 3 in the morning, so it might suck

Jessica was six months pregnant at her husband’s funeral.

She had been on-and-off crying the entire time. She didn’t even know why he died; she knew he used to be a Shadowhunter, he had left his entire family behind, but she thought that the demons stopped attacking him when he stopped being a Shadowhunter.

She was mostly right, they had stopped, except for the night that they didn’t.

After the funeral, everybody went to her mom’s house, for food and hanging out, she guessed.

Why anyone would hang out at a funeral, she doesn’t know.

Anyway, someone new walked in a few minutes ago.

This lady looked so much like Max, it was a bit uncanny. She was holding a baby that couldn’t have been older than a few months, and looked a bit lost.

Jessica got up to ask the lady what she needed. But it was mostly to look at that baby.

“Hello, who are you? Do you need anything?” Jessica asked.

“My name’s Maryse,” she said. “Max was my brother.”

Oh. It's the sister he left behind. Oh, dear.

“I’m very sorry, Max was my husband. I share your grief.”

For a few minutes they stood there, the two most important women in Max Trueblood’s life.

Jessica noticed that Maryse was wearing gray. An odd choice for a funeral. She asked why.

“Oh, Shadowhunters wear white for funerals, but I heard that mundanes wear black. So I decided to go with middle ground. Also, are you pregnant?”

“Yeah, six months. I’m so glad that I get to have his daughter, even after he’s gone.”

“That’s great. Hey Alexander,” Maryse started to address her baby. “Your cousin is gonna be born in a few months. You happy about that?”

Baby Alexander just kept on sleeping.

“We probably won’t be able to see each other after this, though. I bet you’re breaking a lot of rules by being here.”

“Yeah, but the Clave took my brother away from me. I can have ten minutes at his funeral.”

Valid point. They were in silence for a little bit longer. Then Maryse spoke up.

“Y’know, if he had died a few months ago, I probably would have named my son Max instead of naming him Alexander.”

“That’s very nice of you. Maybe if you have another son, you can name him Max?”

“Good idea.”

Maryse left soon after that, her conversation with her sister-in-law going through her head.

Her next child was a girl, so she named her Isabelle.

But then, years later, she had another child.

A boy.

Max Lightwood.


	4. Max Lightwood, Part 1

Robert cheated on her.

Maryse was still pregnant with her third child when she found out. After Max was born, her little boy, named after the uncle he’d never meet, Robert said he broke things off with Annamarie Highsmith. 

But that doesn’t excuse that it happened in the first place. He was married, but he broke his vows. Things could never be the same.

He was about to leave Maryse, for Annamarie, when they had found out Maryse was pregnant. That was why he stayed.

Because, for once, Robert thought of his kids. Alec. Isabelle. And now Max.

Maryse Lightwood, once Trueblood, was holding Max Lightwood, named after a Trueblood, as she waited to see whether she was allowed to begin going on missions again. Max was old enough that she didn’t need to be there all day, and Maryse was healthy enough to be training again. So, according to the Clave, she should probably start going on missions again, at least some light patrolling.

Alec was nine years old, Isabelle was seven, and Max wasn’t even a year old.

Yet, she was expected to leave them for hours a day, because the Clave wanted her to.

It was easier before Max was born. She could patrol, go on missions, and try her best to be home for dinner each day. It wasn’t like she was leaving them alone, either, they had Hodge and sometimes other Shadowhunters watching them. She felt fine about it, she wasn’t crazy about her and Robert leaving them so much, but that’s the way the world worked.

Now, holding Max, she felt she could not leave him. He was her baby. She had already left Max, Max Trueblood, once, and she wasn’t losing another Max.

Also, there was the very real fear of Robert leaving her and the kids. Just because he broke it off with Annamarie doesn’t mean he’d pick it back up again with somebody else.

So here she was, hoping the Clave would tell her to take another month off. At least. She loved the hunt, it was in her blood, but she loved her children more.

“Maryse?” another Shadowhunter called out to her. She didn’t know her name, but it seemed like she knew the Clave’s decision. 

“Yes?” Maryse said. While saying that, she repeated in her mind over and over, ‘please one more month, please one more month, please one more month’.

“The Clave has made a decision.” A pause. “Your next patrol is tomorrow morning, specifics on location and time written here.”

The other Shadowhunter handed Maryse the paper. She’d be gone before any of her kids woke up, and even though it was ‘light patrolling’, she still felt like they had given her a mission into Faerie or something. 

She couldn’t have breakfast with her kids tomorrow morning.

“Thank you,” Maryse said. She always had to be polite. She always had to follow orders. No matter how much she didn’t want to.

She looked down at Max in her arms. Tomorrow would be the start of her distancing herself again. She would probably never be as close to Alec, to Isabelle, to Max again. For a while, she was able to be there every day. Now, once her schedule goes back to normal, she’d be lucky to be able to have dinner with them. 

She didn’t want to distance. But she had to. As a Shadowhunter, it was her duty.

She had two jobs: Shadowhunter, and mother. In the eyes of the Clave, the first was more important, the second only because it would make new Shadowhunters.

Who cares about what the Clave thinks, Maryse thought. I’m a mother and it will always be my most important job.

But she knew the old way of thinking will come back. That it is more important to be a Shadowhunter. She dreaded the day it would come back.

But it would. It always did.

In the next few months, she went on patrol, on missions. She was training, she was fighting, she filled out her paperwork. She saw her kids too little, missed some milestones with Max. 

But it was fine, she told herself. She was doing her job.

As a Shadowhunter, it was what needed to happen eventually.


	5. Max Lightwood, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> very short chapter, but it seemed right to end it there. this one's in Max's POV. also, I had always thought that Izzy and Jace were the same age, so it was nice to look on the wiki for this and know that I was right. the manga and the glasses things are from the books btw.

Max was tired of being left behind.

He was seven years old, his sister Isabelle and his brother Jace were fourteen, and his brother Alec was sixteen. He wasn’t even a decade old yet, and all of his siblings were teenagers.

Mom and Dad weren’t around all that much, on missions, in Idris, everywhere. And yeah, he had Hodge, and some others making sure he didn’t accidentally die in the weapons room, but still.

It gets lonely sometimes.

Max doesn’t really blame his siblings all that much. They have their own missions and training to do, and they did try to include him on some stuff. But with such a large age difference between him and his three siblings, it was hard to find common ground.

Whatever. They let him talk about his manga and everything else, snuck him out after curfew to get pizza, and in general were good siblings. Alec always had his back and supported him, Jace would train with him, and he could tell Isabelle anything.

But there was only so much they could do. He wanted friends his own age, but there weren’t really any other seven-year-old Shadowhunters in New York. So he made other friends.

Mundanes.

There was a bookstore very close to the Institute, so he got his manga there. Sometimes, other kids will be there, so he made some friends. There was a teenager named Simon there sometimes who was nice to him and helped him pick out the good manga. He had glasses too, so that was another thing in common.

But even the kids close by couldn’t be his friends. He had to lie to them every time they asked where he lived, where he went to school, what his parents did for a living.

It gets tiring.

Once I become a real Shadowhunter, he thought, I’ll have friends. Jace won’t have to hold back while training with me, Isabelle could take me on missions, and Alec would be there, supporting not only with his words but with his bow and arrows.

He couldn’t wait to be a Shadowhunter.


	6. Max Lightwood, Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof i could barely come up with a plot for this so it's a mess lol. oh and btw there's a part in here where Maryse thinks some stuff that can be considered homophobic, so you have been warned. it's not slurs or anything, just a not-great attitude about it, y'know? but yeah there's that.

“C’mon, Max,” Maryse said. They were in Idris, about to portal back home again. This time, they were here for the Accords signing. Every Head of every Institute had to be there, except in the occasion of emergency. Usually, at least one Institute wasn’t there. This time, it was Berlin; they were about to leave for Idris when demons started to attack, inadvertently keeping them from going.

So far, the New York Institute had never missed a meeting. They weren’t about to start, either, considering they made it to the one that day. Now, they got to go back home.

Robert wasn’t coming with them. He said he would come the next day. Maryse didn’t ask why, she didn’t want to know. She didn’t think he was cheating on her (again), but she also didn’t want to be proven wrong.

They went through the portal. When Max was younger, going through the portal would usually make him feel sick or at least not good. Now, he took it like a champ.

They made it back to the Institute. Maryse’s other children, having gotten a fire message that they were getting back today, were waiting for them.

“Hey Max, hey Mom,” Isabelle and Alec said. They took turns giving Max hugs and asking him what happened in Idris, did he like it, and other things.

“Hey Maryse,” Jace said. He gave her a hug.

Jace was as much as Maryse’s kid as her other children were. Sometimes he needed reminders of that, but this was not one of those times.

After everyone talked for a bit, she remembered that the time zone change between New York and Idris was fairly large. She looked over at Max. He was yawning, but trying to look awake.

“Okay, we can all talk more in the morning. I think it’s time for Max to go to bed, huh Max?”

Max nodded, but he didn’t look happy about it.

Max was a bit too tired to talk much, so on the way to his room, Maryse thought about her children. And what she had to do to make everything right again.

Jace was too headstrong and impulsive. He was a good fighter, but too often he’d just run into battle. She thought Alec being his parabatai might stop that, but all it did was make Alec follow Jace into these battles, only slightly more prepared.

Isabelle was too rebellious. Her, rendezvouses, let’s say, with Downworlders were not going unnoticed. They way she dressed was unprofessional. Maryse needed Isabelle to act more like her, Maryse, instead of herself. That way, she could keep their family name good.

Because, if Maryse was right with what she thought about Alec, the family name would need some repairing. If he was… well, gay, then the name would go through the dirt again.

Maryse herself didn’t have much of a problem with Alec liking guys. He didn’t know that she knew, and she didn’t tell him. She just knew that the rumors about her family would go wild, and she had enough on her plate right now. She didn’t want to have to deal with another secret.

Robert cheated on her. They were in the Circle together. Alec was gay. Isabelle consorted with Downworlders. Jace was too impulsive.

Max, her baby, was the only one without any secrets she needed to hide.

“Mom?” Max asked. “Can I train with one of my brothers tomorrow?”

“Yeah, of course. Why’d you ask?” Usually, Max wouldn’t ask. She’d just walk into the training room the next day and see him training with any one of his siblings.

“I don’t know, when we were all talking earlier, you seemed mad. So I wanted to check now.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” Maryse said. She realized now that she had to hide her disappointment a bit better, if Max was able to see it. “Now go to bed. If you’re training tomorrow, you need lots of sleep.”

Max went into his room, thinking all was fine.

Maryse went into her room, knowing all wasn’t fine.

* * *

A few years later, Max’s room was empty.

And stayed empty.

Because Max Lightwood was never coming back.

But his namesake would be here in a few years.

Max Lightwood-Bane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Max Lightwood-Bane is next!!!!!


	7. Max Lightwood-Bane, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is after malec wedding btw, so max will mention that. Also, this is slightly inspired a tumblr post I saw by alexandergideon, i don't know how to link stuff but i wanted to give credit where credit is due.

It was Max’s first day of preschool.

Magnus and Alec had searched for a while to find a good school to send him to. This one was small, but good. Max remembered touring it and the main thing he remembered was the trees, tall and fenced in so the kids wouldn’t climb on them.

His papa had enchanted one of his things to keep Max’s glamour up all day, since Max wasn’t old enough to do it himself yet. His dad gave him a little toy to keep in his backpack. It was a stuffed cat that looked a bit like Chairman Meow.

Max was so excited to go to preschool. He’d miss his dads, but they promised they’d be back after, and they’ll take him to ice cream if he was good. Ice cream!

Once everybody was there, the teacher made everyone sit in a circle. First she talked about being good kids, what to do, blah blah blah. Max wasn’t the only one bored, too, because the other teacher had to constantly stop everyone from getting up and playing with the toys that are just a few feet away.

“Now, let’s learn about each other. We’ll go around this circle and everybody say their name and something they did this summer. Emily, you go first.”

Max was near the end of the circle, so by the time it got to him, he was ready.

“My name is Max and this summer my dads got married!” he said, smiling as he did.

“Wow Max, do you want to tell us more?” the teacher said. She said that after each person went, so it wasn’t unusual for her to ask.

“Papa and Daddy got married in suits and Aunt Izzy and Aunt Clary and Grandma were wearing dresses. The person said some stuff and then everybody clapped when they kissed. Me and my big brother Rafe got to walk down the aisle with Daddy and Papa after they kissed. Grandma’s boyfriend talked for a bit and then Uncle Jace talked for a bit and then Aunt Cat talked for a bit and then we all got to eat cake! Then Papa and Daddy went on vacation while me and Rafe stayed with Grandma and her boyfriend.”

Grandma’s boyfriend Luke was really nice and gave him some new toys while Papa and Daddy were on vacation (honeymoon, he thinks he remembers it being called). When they got back they looked really happy. Max liked that his dads were married.

He had said this all really fast, but everyone seemed to at least get the gist of it. 

After everyone was done, they played Duck Duck Goose, and after that, they could all finally play with the toys. 

Max liked preschool. It was boring at first, but then it was fun. He couldn’t wait to get home and tell Papa and Daddy and Rafe about it. Since Rafe was a Shadowhunter, he was learning at the Institute and not at school like Max. 

Before he knew it, the day was over. His dads and Rafe came to pick him up.

“Was he good today, anything we need to know?” Daddy asked.

“He was great, didn’t cause any trouble. Congratulations on your wedding, by the way, Max mentioned it.”

“Oh, thank you!” Papa said. Then they left, and went to go get ice cream. Max talked to Rafe quickly, without stopping at any point, about school that day. Rafe talked to him too, about what happened at the Institute. Apparently, he got to train with Uncle Jace a bit!

They all had ice cream, talking and laughing, sitting together.

One happy family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm gonna be away for the next few days and i can't bring my computer, so updates will stop for a bit. sorry, but once i'm back, i'll try to update the rest all at once, so that ought to be good lol


	8. Max Lightwood-Bane, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about not updating for a while, i went on my trip and then 3x11 finally came out (yay!!) and school was crazy so i didn't have a lot of time, yikes.

Jace loved babysitting his nephews.

Whenever Magnus and Alec went out of town… well, they usually asked Maryse first. Or Izzy and/or Simon. To be honest, Jace wasn’t high on the list.

It wasn’t because they didn’t trust him. They did. But, Jace didn’t exactly seem like the type to babysit. To train with, yes, but to read a bedtime story? Not so much.

But, despite all this, Jace loved to babysit his nephews. Whenever everyone else was busy, it was his turn. Like it was today.

Today he would only be babysitting one nephew, though, since wherever Magnus and Alec were going that time, they could take Rafe, but they couldn’t take Max.

Jace could handle it. A three-year-old warlock, how hard could it be?

Very hard, Jace would soon learn.

“Max, get back here!” Jace found himself yelling on the playground. Max would stay around him for two seconds, then immediately book it to the other end. And once Jace followed him there, he would go back to where he was before. Every time.

Because apparently all the fun toys were at the ends, and Max wouldn’t choose just one toy.

How did Magnus and Alec do this every day?

He had just caught up with Max when he bolted again. By then, Jace had had enough.

“Max Michael Lightwood-Bane!” Jace yelled. Max looked up at that and walked over, looking sad, but not frightened. Jace was still mad, but happy that he didn’t scare Max. Sometimes he was worried that he’d turn into Valentine while watching his nephews, but that hadn’t happened, which was a relief.

“I’m sorry, Uncle Jace,” he said.

“It’s okay, Max. Just don’t run so much, I don’t want you to get hurt. Okay?”

Max nodded, smiling again, and immediately headed for the swings. Max’s navy blue skin clashed horribly with the bright red of the playground, but Jace didn’t care. Who cared about aesthetics when his nephew was the happiest kid there?

Okay, even if Jace couldn’t see how Magnus and Alec did this every day, he could see why. Max was adorable, as was Rafe, and the good moments with them were great. Jace was glad, though, that he didn’t have to deal with the day-to-day stuff yet and he could just be the fun uncle for now.

“Hey Max, after we’re done playing, do you want ice cream on the way home?” Jace asked, in full knowledge that Magnus, Alec and Rafe would be back in an hour, so he wouldn’t have to deal with a sugar-hyper three-year-old for too long. 

“Yes!!” Max yelled, now smiling like crazy.

Being the fun uncle was fun.


	9. Max Lightwood-Bane, Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> takes place before part 1 and 2 of the Max LB chapters, because i can't plan things apparently

Max was almost the age where he would start talking.

Magnus was delighted about that, because it meant that his baby would be able to talk, to communicate better, he was growing, he was wonderful.

But it also brought a realization to Magnus.

Him and Alec hadn’t decided yet what Max should call them. They hadn’t even talked about it yet. So when Max’s babbling started sounding closer and closer to real words, Magnus knew they would need to talk about this.

Before, they would just both refer to themselves as Dada or Daddy or Dad, but they can’t both be called Dad forever, that would get too confusing.

So, when Alec got home from the Institute, and Max was napping, Magnus sat him down for a discussion.

“Alec, we need to talk about this,” Magnus began. Alec immediately looked worried, so Magnus reassured him quickly that it wasn’t anything bad.

“Max will be able to talk soon, so we need to decide who’s Daddy and who’s… something that isn’t Daddy.” 

Alec looked relieved, and then thoughtful for a second. “I don’t know who should be who, but I know the other shouldn’t be Father. That’s too formal.”

“I agree.” Magnus paused and thought for a second. “I think you should be Dad, I don’t know why, but I think it fits.”

Alec nodded, smiling hard. “I like that. I can be Dad. What do you want to be called?”

They ran through some names before Magnus suddenly stood up, realization on his face.

“I got it! Why didn’t I think of this one before?”

“What is it?” Alec said excitedly.

Magnus smiled. “Papa.”

“That’s perfect,” Alec said, before giving Magnus a kiss.

It wasn’t a very long kiss, though, because Max made it known to both of them that he was awake.

They stopped kissing and went to him.

A few days later, Max said “Papa”.

And Magnus might have been the happiest warlock in the world.


	10. Max and Maryse

Maryse has known three boys named Max in her lifetime.

Max Trueblood. Her brother. Who knew when she was sad, who left her when she needed him, who married the mundane. She knew she would regret pushing him away for probably the rest of her life. She missed him. She wondered how the sister-in-law she met once was doing, and the niece she had never met. If things had gone differently, Max might have been alive now, alive and able to hear Maryse’s apologizes. Her saying that she has changed, and that what she had done then, she wouldn’t have done now. Max Trueblood was her biggest regret, a regret that she could never take back.

Max Lightwood. Her son. Who enjoyed manga and comic books, who was impatient to start training, who died before he could ever go on a mission. She knew that she would miss him every day. She wondered what it would have been like if he survived. If things had gone differently, Max might have been alive now, playing with his nephews, going on missions with his siblings, still probably reading manga every chance he got. Max Lightwood was her biggest fear, a fear that came true.

Max Lightwood-Bane. Her grandson. Who loved eating ice cream with his dads and his brother, who had navy blue skin and horns, who played for hours with Luke whenever they babysat Max together. She knew that if things had gone differently, it would have been much worse for this little Max. A baby warlock, abandoned on the steps of the Shadowhunter Academy, lucky enough to be there the day his Daddy and Papa were there. He had a family full of love and support and even more love. Max Lightwood-Bane was her biggest hope, a hope that the future will be better than the past.

Maryse has known three boys named Max in her lifetime, and they were all her family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's it y'all, hope you enjoyed it <3


End file.
